Facebook iPad app dev jumps to Google

Well, it looks like Google has taken another bite out of Apple, with its recent hiring of a Facebook iPad developer Jeff Verkoeyen. This brings to question if this move is from the long delayed release of the Facebook iPad app, which all users have been waiting for seemingly forever.

It turns out that the major reason for Jeff Verkoeyen’s departure had to do with Facebook dragging its feet when it came to launching the popular app, though one might see why Facebook might want to hold off until Timeline went live. Verkoeyen was the lead engineer behind the Facebook iPad app, so this loss is a significant one. It’s understandable that a guy who had been working on this project for 8 solid months — sometimes as much as 80 hours a week to get the app done in time – would get fed up. Discussing his recent career change, Verkoeyen wrote on his blog:

First order of business, I want to make it publicly known that I have taken a job working at Google on their mobile team. I will be doing backend work which will be a refreshing change from the contract iOS development I’ve been doing for the past few years.

This shouldn’t come to anyone’s surprise, as developers join up with different operating systems all the time. Remember when CyanogenMod founder Steve Kondik joined Samsung? We need to keep in mind that these guys are contractors (for the most part) trying to make a living. Honestly, if I were the lead dev for this app I would have been pissed too. Just think, the Facebook iPad app has been feature complete for months and it still hasn’t been released.